Register of the Francis E. Stafford photographs
Finding aid prepared by Amanda Robb and Jessica Lemieux
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2012, 2013
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: Francis E. Stafford photographs
Date (inclusive): 1909-2012
Collection Number: 2012C34
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1 manuscript box, 5 oversize boxes, digital media
(4 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Photographs of scenes in China, mainly between 1909 and 1915, and 1932 and 1933.
Creator:
Stafford, Francis E., 1884-1938
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
Boxes 1-4 may not be used without permission of the Archivist; there is digitized content from this collection available.
The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If
there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives from Ronald E. Anderson (PhD, Stanford University, 1970) and family
in 2012. Additional material was acquired in 2020.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Francis E. Stafford photographs, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical Note
Stafford was an American missionary in China from 1909 to 1915 and 1932 to 1933. A lithographer and photographer, he arrived
in Shanghai in 1909 and was hired by the Commercial Press�-then Asia's largest publishing company--to manage its printing
division from 1909 to 1915. During the onset of the Wuchang Uprising in October 1911, Stafford was on hand to capture remarkable
photos of the Qing Dynasty's collapse.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection, which consists of nearly 1,100 images, includes the largest number of surviving original photographic prints
of the Chinese Revolution of 1911. Stafford's historic photographs record the turbulent period between 1910 and 1933, as China
transitioned from feudal monarchy to republic. Depicted are battle scenes, military and political figures, as well as everyday
people, life, and culture in China. Also included are rare glimpses of printing operations and employees of the Commercial
Press.
Stafford's photos first appeared in such publications as the
Da Ge Ming Xie Zhen Hua (War Scenes of the Chinese Revolution) and were reproduced as illustrated posters. His work has also been highlighted in several major museum exhibitions in Hong
Kong and Shanghai. In 2010 the University of Washington Press republished 162 of the photographs in
The Birth of a Republic: Francis Stafford's Photographs of China's 1911 Revolution and Beyond. As noted by the book's editor, Hanchao Lu, Stafford's unique photographs "reveal sweeping social and political change, as
well as the tenacity of tradition" and "appeal to historians interested in modern China, revolution, and war."
Subjects and Indexing Terms
China -- Pictorial works
Photographs
1909-1932
Scope and Contents
The photographs series contains 5 photograph albums and additional photographs depicting the Stafford family, their work in
Shanghai, and the 1911 Chinese revolution and the fall of the Qing dynasty.
box 4, online digital
Album A: Photographs of China's natural landscapes, urban scenes, cultural landmarks, social customs, and people
1909-1915
Conditions Governing Access
Box 4 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 3, online digital
Album B: Photographs of China's natural landscapes, urban scenes, cultural landmarks, social customs, and people
1909-1915
Conditions Governing Access
Box 3 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 1, online digital
Album C: Photographs of the Chinese Revolution of 1911 and the Shanghai Commercial Press
1909-1915
Conditions Governing Access
Box 1 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 2, online digital
Album D: Photographs of China's natural landscapes, urban scenes, cultural landmarks, social customs, and people
1909-1915
Conditions Governing Access
Box 2 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 2, online digital
Album E: Photographs of the Seventh Day Adventist Church missionaries in China
1932-1933
Conditions Governing Access
Box 2 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 5, folder 1
Portraits of Francis E. Stafford
undated
box 5, folder 2
Group portrait of the Staffords' return to China
1932
Scope and Contents
Caption on sticker: "Nellie and Francis returning to China -S.F. 1932 - with friends bidding them goodbye."
box 5, folder 3
Loose album pages
1911
Scope and Contents
Approximately 60 prints, documenting the 1911 Chinese Revolution and the fall of the Qing dynasty. Includes views of Shanghai
and Hankow, battle scenes, and decapitations.
Biographical File
1932-2012
Scope and Contents
Includes printed matter about the Stafford family, copies of publications that use Stafford's photographs, and a letter from
Francis Stafford to his daughter Eleanor. Also contains 1 optical disk.
Conditions Governing Access
Digital materials are not available until processed. If interested in accessing these materials, please contact us for more
information.
box 5, folder 4
Notes on the collection by Ron Anderson
2012
box MC29
2 optical disks
2012
Access
This content has been digitized.
box 5, folder 5
Publications that include Stafford's photographs
2001-2011, undated
box 5, folder 7
Letter from Francis Stafford to Eleanor Stafford
1932 March 29
